FLYTANDE BIBLIOTEK

VIDEO

NEWS

Traditionally, the sea has been the main avenue of transport along the coast of Norway. The coast is made up of a multitude of islands and islets, with many remote places along the fjords. Although communications are improving, with roads, tunnels and bridges being built, there are still quite a few communities most easily reached by boat. This is the case today, and it certainly was even more so when the idea of a sea borne library was conceived and pioneered by librarians in Hordaland.

About

This mobile library can be found floating—yes, floating—along Norway’s west coast. The programme, where the boat serves as a library for Hordaland and Møre og Romsdal, two communities too small to support their own brick-and-mortar buildings, has been running since 1959, and this particular boat has been in use since 1963. While it’s not exactly a bookstore, it is a local landmark, carrying 6000 books inside the 85-foot boat, and hosting multiple cultural and family events throughout the year.